Feed-cutter.



' 1. & I. N. GARDNER.

FEED CUTTER.

AIPLIOLTIOI IILBD 001. 18, 1907.

Patented 0011.27, 1908.

A TTORNE Y5 Cir IVAN GARDNER AND ISAAC NEWTON GARDNER, or WAPELLA,ILLINoIs.

FEED-CUTTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 27, 1908.

I Application filed October 16, 1907. Serial No. 397,708.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, IVAN GARDNER and ISAAC N. GARDNER, citizens of theUnited States, residing at Wapella, in the county of Dewitt and State ofIllinois, have invented a metal of a suitable new and usefulFeed-Cutter, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in machines for cutting orslicing vegetables, and the like, and it has for its object to provide adevice of this character that is so simple in its construction that itmay be manufactured inexpensively, and which is capable of readilyreducing the vegetables or other food to slices of the desiredthickness, the knives being so mounted that they may be readily adjustedto vary the thickness of the slices, as may be desired, and they may bereadily removed for sharpening.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved devices forfeeding the vege tables to the knives so that it is unnecessary for theoperator to press the articles into engagement with the knives duringthe cutting operation.

To these and other ends, the invention comprises the various novelfeatures of construction and combination and arrangement of parts, whichwill be hereinafter more fully described and pointed out particularly inthe appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings :-Figure 1 represents a vertical section ofa feed cutter constructed in accordance with the present section on theline 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 2 represents a transverse Fig. 3 represents a section on the line3-3 of Fig. 2 showing the cooperative relation between the knives andone of the feeding devices.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are indicated throughout bysimilar characters of reference.

The feed cutter shown in the present embodiment of the invention isespecially adapted for use in slicing. or finely dividing vegetables,roots, and the like, in order that they may be used as cattle feed, andthe machine in the present instance comprises a frame that may be of anysuitable construc tion and serves to support the machine, the frameshown in this case consisting of a set of posts 1 connected by thehorizontal members 2, the boards 3 secured to the horizontal membersforming a casing which incloses the frame.

Mounted within the frame is a hopper or invention.

[receptacle 4 adapted to receive the vegetables to be sliced, and thishopper may be of any suitable construction, that shown in the presentinstance being com osed of sheet gage whic is rolled into cylindricalform, the bolts 5 securing it in fixed relation within the frame. Thespace between the hopper and the casing inc-losing the frame ispreferably closed by plate 6 which is fitted above the hopper and has adownturned circular flange 7 which fits within the upper end of thehopper, this plate serving to exclude vegetables from the space betweenthe it also provides a stay between the hopper and frame. Thecylindrical hopper'is provided at a point adjacent to its lower end witha circumferential bead or rib 8 which projects inwardly from the wall ofthe hopper.

The knives, in the present instance, are mounted on a rotary carrier 9which is of a diameter suflicient to fit within the lower end of thehopper immediately below the circumferential bead or rib, the carrierbeing mounted on a spindle 10 which is arranged within the casing in anydesired way and provided with a suitable operating mechanism, thecarrier being secured to the spindle, in the present instance, by meansof a pair of nuts 11 and 12 which are threaded on the spindle andclamped against the opposite sides of the knife carrier, the lower endof the spindle fitting into a bearing sleeve 13 which is supported inthe cross bar 14, the latter being rigidly supported by the frame. Thebearing sleeve is preferably threaded to receive a screw 15, the lattercooperating with the lower end. of the spindle and serving to support itand to adjust the position of the knife carrier vertically. The knivesare arranged substantially radially on the carrier, the latter beingprovided with a series of slots 16 through which the slices from theknives are discharged from the upper to the lower side of the carrier,and adjacent to each slot is a recess 17 having a knife, engagingsurface 18 which slopes upwardly as it approaches the slot, the knifeblade 19 being in the form of a flat plate having its cutting edge 20arranged above the slot and pointed toward the direction of rotation ofthe carrier, slots 21 being formed in the knife to re ceive bolts 22,the slots in the knife extending in a direction toward and from the slot16 and serving to permit the knife to be adjusted in a direction towardor from said slot 16.

means of a hopper and the frame and The devices employed in the resentin- 1 may be operated by a crank 38, the rotary stance for feeding thevegetab es to the movement of the operating shaft being transknivescomprise a partition 24 which extends mitted to the spindle through thebevel geardiametrical y across the hopper and has an ing, and thespindle, in turn, transmitting its intermediate portion formed into asemi-cylmovement to the rotary knife carrier.

' What is claimed is inder 25 to accommodate and assist in gu1ding thespindle, the ends of the partition be- 1. In a feed cutter thecombination with a ing rigidly attached in any desired manner to suporting frame and a cylindrical recepthe receptacle or other relativelyfixed part tac e mounted therein and having a circumferential ribadjacent its lower end; of a ver of the machine, the partition, in thepresent tically adjustable spindle supported centrally instance, beingprovided with a pair of within the receptacle, a radially slottedcarrier secured to and revoluble with the spinflanges 26 and 27 whichare riveted or other (lle, the peripheral portion of said carrier bewisesecured to the sides of the hopper. On the opposite sides of thepartition are ardeflector plates 28 and 29, ing overhung by the rib,blades adjustably the present instance being connected to the carrierand extending partly across the slots therein, a partition within thereceptacle and above the carrier, and inclined deflecting blades securedupon and extending downward from opposite faces of the partition.

2. In a feed cutter the combination with a supporting frame, acylindrical receptacle mounted therein and having a circumferential ribadjacent its lower end; of a vertical spindle adjustably mounted andextending centrally within the receptacle, a carrier mounted in thelower portion of the receptacle and having its periphery overhung byranged a pair of those shown in I each composed of sheet metal havingtheir l upper and lower portions riveted or otherwise secured to thepartition, as at 30 and 31, the metal adjacent to the lower edgeextending laterally and upwardly to form an inclined deflector 32 whichis adapted to engage the vegetables and press them downwardly toward thecarrier, the knives removing successive slices from the vegetables asthe knives pass the partition. Two of the feeding devices are preferablyprovided, one being arranged on each side of the partition and onopposite sides of the spindle, and as the vegetables are dropped intothe hopper j the rib, said carrier having radial slots,

so that they fail on both sides of the partiblades adjustably connectedto the carrier tion, adouble slicing operation will take place adjacentthe slots, means for rotating the spindle and carrier, a partitionsecured diaduring the operation of the knife carrier.

The thickness of the slices may be varied, Y metrically within'thereceptacle and partly embracing the spindle, and a deflecting blade asdesired, by adjusting the knife carrier verl 1 t h f f th LY Ll fsecuret o eac ace 0 e par '1 ion eaci 0 said blades comprising ametallic strip angutically, and such an adjustment may be had in thepresent instance by turning the screw lar in cross section and securedalong its longitudinal edges to the partition, the lower portion of eachblade being inclined up 15 in an approprlate direction.

Any suitable devices may be employed for I wardly away from thepartition.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing driving the spindle, theoperating means shown in the present instance comprising an as our own,we have hereto affixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

operating shaft 33 journaled in a bracket 34 which extends across thetop of the frame and is secured thereto, the inner end of the op eratingshkalfthbeing provided hwith a bevel IVAN GARDNER gear 35 w iccooperates wit a pinion 36 T fixed on the upper end of the spindle, theI ISAAC LEWTON GARDNER j Witnesses: I GEORG C. MAXWELL, i JAMEsCARPENTER.

outer end of the operating shaft being provided with a pulley 37 so thatthe device may be operated by power when available, or it

